TikTok CEO denies seeing US user data provided to Chinese government
Christopher Hutton
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TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew told Congress on Thursday that he had no reason to believe that the app had provided U.S. user data to Chinese officials, a subject of considerable controversy factoring into the push in Washington to restrict or ban the social media platform.
There is “no evidence that the Chinese government has access” to U.S. user data, Chew said in testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
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Chew’s remarks were met with skepticism. “I find that actually preposterous,” Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) said.
Members of Congress have proposed several bills to restrict TikTok in the U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has written a bill to ban the app outright. In contrast, Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and John Thune (R-SD) have introduced legislation to provide extra powers to the Commerce Department to analyze and determine if foreign business deals are security risks.
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TikTok expanded its efforts to lobby in Washington in the last year. The social media company spent the fourth-highest amount on lobbying expenses from any internet company, according to OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan platform tracking political spending.